In brief: Reward offered in search for robber
Secret Witness is offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of a man who attacked and robbed an 81-year-old woman May 16 in Riverfront Park.
The assault occurred about 10:30 a.m.
Police said the robber is described as white, 5-foot-10 with a medium build. He’s believed to be 28 to 30 years old.
Anyone with information is asked to call (509) 327-5111.
Schedules change for Memorial Day
Schools and banks will be closed for Memorial Day, the first holiday of summer. Drivers will not have to plug parking meters Monday.
Spokane curbside garbage and recycling pick-up will be a day late all week.
Because Spokane Public Library branches are normally closed on Mondays, the libraries will also be closed Tuesday in observance of Memorial Day.
Other holiday schedules:
“Spokane Transit Authority – Sunday service schedules
“Postal service – closed
“Spokane City Hall – closed
“Spokane County offices – closed
“Washington state offices – closed
“Federal government offices – closed
“Spokane garbage transfer stations – closed
Boise
Head-on crash kills father, sons
Four members of a Nampa, Idaho, family were killed when their sport utility vehicle collided head-on with a commercial truck in southeastern Oregon on Friday evening.
The accident happened about 15 miles north of the Nevada border on Highway 95, Oregon State Police officials said.
Forty-two-year-old Joseph John Koudelka IV was driving the Chevrolet Suburban when it collided with a Peterbilt commercial truck towing a semi-trailer full of clothing, police said. After the impact, both vehicles caught fire and were destroyed.
Koudelka and his sons Justin Koudelka, 11, and Joshua Koudelka, 14, died at the scene. Another son, 17-year-old Joseph Koudelka V, died on the way to a Winnemucca, Nev., hospital, police said.
The truck driver, Lloyd Roger Putman, 52, of Kuna, Idaho, was not injured.
POCATELLO, Idaho
Mystery pledge made to zoo
An anonymous donor has pledged $100,000 to The Pocatello Zoological Society so the zoo can build a grizzly bear exhibit and grasslands interpretive center.
The donation, made Wednesday, is the second major gift received since the zoo began its capital campaign to upgrade its facilities. About two weeks ago, campaign chairwoman Sara Ifft donated $500,000 to the zoo.
The new exhibit will hold as many as five bears and will include a water feature so the bears can catch their own fish. The grizzly project is expected to cost about $1.9 million.
CALDWELL, Idaho
ACLU not likely to sue over seal
Despite complaints, a cross on the official Canyon County seal probably won’t spur a lawsuit by the American Civil Liberties Union of Idaho, the group’s executive director Jack Van Valkenburgh said.
A Caldwell man recently complained about the small Latin cross on the seal to the ACLU-Idaho, saying the symbol violated the separation of church and state. Van Valkenburgh said the group would officially decide within a month whether to take action against Canyon County over the cross, but said it was “unlikely” that the organization would file a lawsuit.
The county seal depicts a river, livestock, hills and buildings including a church. The cross is on the steeple of the church.
County officials have defended the cross, saying it represents an important part of Canyon County’s history and community.
ACLU attorney Matt Echohawk said the county’s intent when it placed the cross could make a difference in his organization’s decision.
WEST GLACIER, Mont.
Campgrounds being reopened
Officials at Glacier National Park expect to open two backcountry campgrounds closed the past two summers because a grizzly bear and cubs frequented them.
Park officials say the Old Man and Morning Star campgrounds are likely to open on July 18, but at this time, Aug. 1 is the earliest date for which reservations are being taken.
In early July, bear specialists will evaluate the behavior of grizzlies. If that work raises no concerns, trail crews will go to the areas and do work put off the past two summers.
From staff and wire reports.